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U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Scientific & Technical Information

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Posted December 18, 2007

• OSTI cited as Web site “on the right track”

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) continues to ensure ready access to the results of research and development from DOE, federal government science agencies, and international scientific databases. OSTI was recently cited as one of five federal government Web sites “on the right track” by OMB Watch, a nonprofit government watchdog organization located in Washington, DC. The report, Hiding in Plain Sight: Why Important Government Information Cannot Be Found through Commercial Search Engines, was released December 11 and spotlights the gap in accessibility of government information (see press release).

Released December 5, 2007

• Science.gov Celebrates 5th Anniversary

  The science gateway that makes science information more accessible and useful to researchers, teachers, and learners wherever they are located commemorated its 5th Anniversary today (see press release).

Posted December 4, 2007

• One step closer to vaccine for Lyme disease

  Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators at Stony Brook University have received a patent for developing chimeric, or "combination," proteins that may advance the development of vaccines and diagnostic tests for Lyme disease. Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the U.S., and is spread by the bite of an infected deer tick. "This [research] could lead to a vaccine that is effective at different stages of the organism's life cycle," said Brookhaven biologist John Dunn, a researcher on the BNL Lyme disease team. Read about this and other patents supported through DOE at DOepatents, a central collection of the Department’s patent information from the 1940s to today.

Posted November 20, 2007

• Search 1.1 million scientific e-prints at OSTI’s E-print Network

  The network created by scientists for scientists continues to grow. E-print Network provides electronic access to more than 27,000 Web sites and databases worldwide containing 1.1 million e-prints in basic and applied sciences. E-prints are scientific or technical documents circulated electronically to facilitate peer exchange and scientific advancement. Included are pre-publication drafts of journal articles (preprints), scholarly papers, technical communications, or similar documents relaying research results among peer groups. E-print Network, developed and maintained by OSTI, is intended for use by scientists, engineers, and students at advanced levels.

Posted November 6, 2007

• WorldWideScience.org adds five countries

  The global science gateway, WorldWideScience.org, continues to grow as five more countries have contributed databases. WorldWideScience.org is a one-stop search of science centers across every inhabited continent. The goal of the gateway is to make the world’s science readily available to researchers and citizens. Recently, databases from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Portugal, and Spain were added to the WorldWideScience.org gateway through the Science Electronic Library Online. Visit WorldWideScience.org today, where you can now search science information from 24 sources of 17 countries. WorldWideScience.org was developed and is maintained by OSTI, which makes R&D findings available and useful to advance discovery.

• DNA given a “voice”; award-winning research featured at OSTI

  Nobel Laureate research that helps read the instructions of life is now featured at OSTI. Roger D. Kornberg of Stanford University won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies in transcribing DNA, the storehouse of molecular information. Dr. Kornberg noted in a PBS interview, “…the DNA by itself contains nothing more than information. The DNA alone is silent. The machinery that we have investigated for the past several decades gives the DNA information voice.” A significant portion of Dr. Kornberg's research leading to this prize was performed at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), a Department of Energy (DOE)-supported research facility located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Related research documents and Web sites are featured at OSTI’s DOE R&D Accomplishments. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D.

Posted October 23, 2007

• Research & patents generated by Nobel Laureate discovery highlighted at OSTI

  A discovery in 1988 has yielded not only the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics, but a birthing of subsequent DOE research and patents now featured at OSTI. GMR, or Giant Magnetoresistance, is considered an early application in the growing field of nanotechnology. In 1988, Dr. Peter Grünberg of Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany and Dr. Albert Fert of Université Paris-Sud in France each independently discovered GMR, a physical effect in which very weak changes in magnetism generate larger changes in electrical resistance (see Office of Science press release). Dr. Grünberg's research was based in part on his work at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory. Since the GMR discovery, DOE has contributed many research papers on the topic that can be viewed at OSTI’s Science Showcase. For a more complete list of GMR research documents, visit OSTI’s Information Bridge; for citations visit OSTI’s Energy Citations Database; and for patent records visit DOepatents.

• Tiny grid plays big role in saving lives

  According to Argonne National Laboratory, “a grid as little as three millimeters tall could save lives by helping X-rays and radiotracers provide clearer diagnostic images of the human body.” The award-winning discovery is the Patent News feature at OSTI’s DOepatents site. DOepatents is a central, searchable collection of more than 20,000 historic and current patent records. Recent Inventions and Inventor Resources are available, as well as breakthrough DOE Innovations.

Posted October 9, 2007

• Meet 'Otisco' – a Shrub Bred for Speed

  Meet Otisco, a fast-growing shrub willow that is resistant to disease and pests, hardy on a variety of sites, and can be harvested at a rapid rate for high yields of biomass – perfect for a sustainable, renewable source of energy. This novel hybridization of Salix viminalis with Salix miyabeana [319-KB PDF] [exit federal site] was patented in September, and is on the recent inventions list at the DOepatents Database. DOepatents, developed and maintained by OSTI, is the U.S. Department of Energy's central collection of searchable patent information. The database makes available more than 20,000 historic and current patent records.

• Wolfgang Panofsky Dead at 88, Bibliography Featured at Energy Citations Database

  

  Wolfgang K. H. "Pief", Panofsky, a renowned particle physics researcher, accelerator builder, outspoken arms control advocate, and administrator of basic research, died September 25, 2007. Dr. Panofsky was awarded the National Medal of Science in 1969 and the U.S. Department of Energy's Enrico Fermi Award in 1979. A featured bibliography of Dr. Panofsky is available at OSTI's Energy Citations Database. Energy Citations Database provides free access to over two million science research citations from 1948 through the present.

   

• Seaborg Award Winner's Documents Featured

  

  Saed Mirzadeh, whose work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has led to development of new treatments for cancer and other diseases, is the recipient of the American Nuclear Society's 2007 Seaborg Medal Award.[exit federal site] A selection of Dr. Mirzadeh's documents are featured at OSTI's Information Bridge. Information Bridge provides free access to full-text documents and citations of DOE's research report literature.
  

   

   

   

   

Posted September 25, 2007

• OSTI 60th Anniversary Commemorated

  

  On September 18, 2007, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) commemorated its 60-year contribution to accelerating scientific discovery through the preservation and sharing of DOE R&D results. Historical exhibits and a program for retirees, former and current employees, and business and community leaders were held at the OSTI facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Dr. Jeffrey Salmon, Associate Under Secretary for Science; Dr. Eugene Garfield, Chairman Emeritus of Thomson Scientific; and Dr. Walter Warnick, OSTI Director, were speakers. U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp delivered pre-recorded video comments. During the event, the launch of DOePatents, a new Web site developed by OSTI, was announced. That evening OSTI co-hosted with Friends of Oak Ridge National Library a free community lecture by Dr. Garfield, a pioneer in information retrieval systems and inventor of Science Citation Index, at the American Museum of Science and Energy. As part of its 60th celebration, OSTI is participating in the Places & Spaces Mapping Science exhibit currently at the museum.

• OSTI Develops New Online Search Tool for Patents

  

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched a new Web site, DOepatents, which allows search and retrieval of information from a collection of more than 20,000 patent records.“From helping the blind to see again to identifying hidden weapons through holographic computerized imaging technology, DOE has supported and will continue to support research addressing some of the world’s most pressing scientific challenges,” Under Secretary for Science Dr. Raymond L. Orbach said. “Content within DOepatents represents a truly impressive demonstration of DOE research and development and technological innovation.” The database represents a growing collection of patents resulting from R&D supported by DOE and demonstrates the Department’s considerable contribution to scientific progress from the 1940s to the present.

• OSTI Showcases DOE Research Taking Aim at Cancer

  DOE research has made many contributions over the years to radiation and cancer therapy, including PEREGRINE and Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). OSTI’s DOE Accomplishments Web site recently featured these revolutionary tools. Also included at the site are more resources and additional information on this topic. DOE Accomplishments is a central forum for information about remarkable advances in science through past DOE R&D.

Released September 18, 2007

• DOE Launches New Online Search Tool for Patents, 1940s to Present

  DOE today announced the launch of a website, DOepatents, which allows search and retrieval of information from a collection of more than 20,000 patent records.  The database represents a growing collection of patents resulting from R&D supported by DOE and demonstrates the Department’s considerable contribution to scientific progress from the 1940s to the present (see press release).

Posted September 11, 2007

• OSTI Joins Places & Spaces Exhibit at American Museum of Science and Energy

  

  As part of its 60^th celebration, OSTI is participating in the Places & Spaces Mapping Science exhibit currently at the American Museum of Science and Energy. OSTI's Identifying a Dream Research Team: An Astrophysical Example will be on display from Sept. 7 to January 7. The illustrations in OSTI's display are based on a key DOE database, Information Bridge. Information Bridge is a DOE Science Accelerator resource.

• Eugene Garfield to Lecture at OSTI and American Museum of Science and Energy

  

  The public is invited to share in OSTI's 60^th Anniversary celebration at a free community lecture and reception held at 7 pm at the American Museum of Science and Energy. Dr. Eugene Garfield, a pioneer in information retrieval systems and inventor of Science Citation Index, will present "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants – tracing the impacts of information retrieval systems on science policy." Garfield is founding publisher/editor of The Scientist, author of over 1,000 articles and books, and has lectured widely throughout the world.

Released August 27, 2007

• OSTI Celebrates 60 Years of Knowledge Sharing

  It was just over 60 years ago that General Leslie Groves, commanding the Manhattan Engineer District in Oak Ridge, TN, mandated that all classified and unclassified information related to the Atomic Bomb be brought together into one central file. Thus, in 1947, the precursor to the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI, www.osti.gov) was born. On Sept. 18, OSTI, within the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, will commemorate its 60th Anniversary (see press release).

Posted August 21, 2007

• Science Accelerator Searches Key Energy Department Databases

  

  The DOE Science Accelerator provides one-stop searching of key Energy Department and federal scientific databases developed and maintained by the OSTI. Users can search and retrieve current research results and ongoing project descriptions, as well as legacy research findings and accomplishments. Included are full-text technical reports, energy-related citations, conference papers and proceedings and scientific e-prints (see resource descriptions). The DOE Science Accelerator demonstrates capabilities that will eventually yield the technology to search at least 1,000 scientific databases in parallel. DOE will continue to develop this resource as other science and technology resources are added.

• WorldWideScience.org Extends Global Reach to Africa

  

  WorldWideScience.org now provides access to scientific knowledge from all six inhabited continents. The most recent addition is the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. OSTI manages and hosts WorldWideScience.org, a global science gateway using federated search for one-stop access to international science sources. The newest addition, CSIR, is an institutional repository containing articles, reports, and papers authored by CSIR researchers. CSIR contacted OSTI, seeking to have its collection made searchable by WorldWideScience.org. Just prior to the overture from South Africa, OSTI was contacted by the National Library of New Zealand, Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1868-1961, seeking to have its nearly century-old collection of scientific literature added to WorldWideScience.org. This source has now been added as well. Brian Hitson, associate director of OSTI, said: “Clearly, the accelerated knowledge diffusion benefits of WorldWideScience.org are resonating across the globe, as more and more source managers express a desire to be searched by this gateway. The benefits are mutual: Each source enjoys more usage and visibility, and the users of WorldWideScience.org gain access to a multitude of sources not accessible through any other single search engine.”

• DOE R&D Accomplishments Database Enhanced

  

  OSTI recently enhanced the DOE R&D Accomplishments database search and retrieval features. Users now have the benefit of sorting results, limiting their search to just full text and honing their search terms for a targeted search. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D activities that have had significant economic impact, have improved people's lives, or have been widely recognized as remarkable advances in science. An R&D accomplishment is the outcome of past research whose benefits are being realized now. Visit DOE R&D Accomplishments to read about Nobel Prize winners, and be sure and visit the R&D Nuggets page for wide-ranging, interesting scientific insights and/or links to educational resources and materials.

• Energy Department National Labs highlighted at OSTI’s DOE R&D Accomplishments

  Now you can read about the history and achievements of DOE's National Laboratories and Other Major Laboratories and Facilities from one central Web portal. OSTI recently added this series of Web pages to the Nuggets area of its DOE R&D Accomplishments site. Visit both the National Laboratory section and the Other Major Laboratory and Facilities section to find these valuable resources. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D activities that are widely recognized as remarkable advances in science.

Posted August 7, 2007

• Fusion Advocate Featured at OSTI

  A featured bibliography of Dr. Michael Roberts, a major player in the fusion community for over 40 years, is now available at OSTI's Energy Citations Database. Dr. Roberts was instrumental in ensuring President Reagan and President Gorbachev discussed the ITER burning plasma experiment during their 1985 Geneva Summit. According to a DOE Office of Science news release, "His vision and constant willingness to press ahead has culminated in the agreement to build ITER with seven international partners." Roberts was honored by President Bush with the 2006 Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executives. Until his retirement in 2006, Dr. Roberts was Director of the ITER and International Division in the Fusion Energy Sciences program of the DOE Office of Science.

• Muon-Neutrino Research Turned into a Nobel-Prize Winning Accomplishment

  Jack Steinberger and Brookhaven National Laboratory colleagues won the 1988 Nobel Prize for the 1962 discovery of the Muon-Neutrino. The work showed that particles are associated in particular ways, and that there are different neutrino families. Steinberger's work and documents are featured at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site. DOE R&D Accomplishments highlights outcomes of past research and development that has had significant economic impact, improved people's lives, or been widely recognized as remarkable advances in science. Links to additional Web sites and documents are available.

Posted July 24, 2007

• OSTI Works to Increase Visibility of All DOE Scientific Research Data

  OSTI has added a new section to its Web site. This section highlights the DOE Data Centers, where much of the Energy Department's non-text data resides. DOE generates scientific research data in many forms, both text and non-text.  While OSTI's databases make the Department's text-based information easily available (see the DOE Science Accelerator Advanced Search Page), researchers also want access to the original, underlying numeric data sets, scientific images, tables and graphs, or computer models and simulations. Information about OSTI's data-focused forums and activities and links to publications on scientific data issues are also available.

Posted July 10, 2007

• Life's Little Extremists Highlighted at OSTI

  Identified as the third kingdom of living organisms, Archaea (from the Greek word for "ancient"), thrive where other life forms fail. These tiny microbes live in extreme environs like volcanic vents, acidic hot springs, and hypersaline waters. They can survive without sunlight while feeding on materials their fellow organisms cannot metabolize. In 1996, a study funded by the Office of Science's Microbial Genome Initiative mapped the entire genome sequence of  Methanococcus jannaschii, a microbe from boiling vents deep in the Pacific Ocean, and confirmed its place in the "third branch of life" (see Verifying the "Third Branch of Life"). Archaea are highlighted at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments, a central Web forum for information about the outcomes of past Energy Department research. A list of related documents is available.

Released June 28, 2007

• OSTI Pact with Internet Archive Ensures Uninterrupted Research Access

  One sure thing about the World Wide Web: Like the weather, it will change. Given this dynamic nature of the Web and the importance of preservation of scientific information in a digital environment, OSTI recently partnered with Internet Archive [exit federal site] to ensure uninterrupted access to more than 1 million online research papers from the E-print Network.

Posted June 28, 2007

• Global Science Gateway Opened

  DOE and the British Library, along with eight other participating countries, recently opened an online global gateway to science information from 15 national portals. The gateway, WorldWideScience.org, was developed and is maintained by the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information. It gives citizens, researchers, and anyone interested in science the capability to search science portals not easily accessible through popular search technology such as that deployed by Google, Yahoo!, and many other commercial search engines.

  "Scientific research results are archived globally in a plethora of sources, many unknown and unreachable through usual search engines," Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, DOE Under Secretary for Science, said. "This international partnership will open up this vast reservoir of knowledge in a rapid and convenient manner, something that will add great value to our existing knowledge." Please see the DOE press release: Global Science Gateway Now Open and listen to the WorldWideScience.org podcast.

Posted June 19, 2007

• Find Current DOE Research Projects at OSTI Web Site

  OSTI's DOE R&D Project Summaries searchable database now has over 35,000 files available for public access. The database provides access to summaries of ongoing or recently completed projects performed by DOE laboratories and research facilities. These projects pertain to a variety of research and development (R&D) disciplines, such as science, fossil energy, environmental management, and energy efficiency and renewable energy. Developed by OSTI as a means for DOE to educate and inform the general public of its R&D activities, the database includes projects the Department sponsored through a variety of funding mechanisms, including grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.

Released June 5, 2007

• OSTI Helps Citizens Find DOE Legacy Research

  A free online tool for search and retrieval of legacy research sponsored by and/or related to DOE has been enhanced. Now, citizens and researchers can retrieve science information from 1948 to the present using an “alerts” service, a “refine search” tool, new fielded search options, navigation enhancements, and featured highlights. Developed with the science-attentive citizen in mind, ECD (or Energy Citations Database) includes bibliographic citations of literature in disciplines of interest to DOE such as chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, computer science, and related disciplines. It includes citations to report literature, conference papers, journal articles, books, dissertations, and patents.

Posted June 5, 2007

• DOE Gray Literature Now Registered with CrossRef

  Through a partnership with CrossRef [exit federal site], a robust citation linking service, OSTI has completed registration of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) to more than 86,000 research reports from Information Bridge. (Please see CrossRef press release.) DOE is the first federal government agency to have its technical reports registered with CrossRef. A DOI provides a way to track, exchange, and manage content over time in the digital universe, regardless of changing information related to that content. This facilitates electronic access to DOE scientific and technical literature, placing it on the same footing as journal articles in terms of reference linking. Dr. Walter Warnick, Director of OSTI, commented, “Coupling the vast resources available on OSTI's Information Bridge with the capabilities of CrossRef speeds access to DOE scientific and technical literature, placing it on the same footing as journal articles in terms of reference linking.”

Posted May 15, 2007

• “Adventurer Physicist” Highlighted at OSTI

  Considered an 'adventurer physicist' (see ScienceMatters@Berkeley [exit federal site]), Luis W. Alvarez searched for hidden chambers in an Egyptian pyramid, analyzed the film documenting John F. Kennedy's assassination, and flew in the plane that trailed the aircraft that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Along the way, Alvarez developed the proton linear accelerator and won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physics for contributions to elementary particle physics. OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site showcases Alvarez documents and resources with additional information. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE research and development that have been widely recognized as remarkable advances in science.

Posted May 2, 2007

• OSTI Celebrates 60 Years of Knowledge Sharing, 1947–2007

  Throughout its 60-year history, OSTI has been committed to ensuring U.S. citizens have appropriate access to their government’s research results. In 1958, OSTI shipped 25 tons of materials to the Geneva Conference; in 2007, projections are for 80 million Web transactions through OSTI databases. Read about OSTI’s early days, download printable historical posters, and listen to the 60th Anniversary podcast at OSTI’s 60 Years of Knowledge Sharing Web site. While there, be sure and link to OSTI’s suite of Web products to search for and find scientific research results. To advance science, research must be shared. OSTI works to accelerate the sharing of knowledge to speed discovery.

• Get Science—Access E-print Network for Current Research Documents, Researchers' Web Sites, and Scientific Societies

  

  Gain access to more than 1 million e-print science documents, over 25,000 Web sites, and links to more than 2,900 scientific societies at OSTI's E-print Network, a fast-growing searchable scientific communications network. By linking to publicly accessible sites around the world, the E-print Network makes available a search of information in basic and applied sciences, primarily in physics but also chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and other disciplines of interest to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Most documents included in the network are recent scientific papers. Scientific Web sites are organized by scientific disciplines and an Alert Service is available.

• Science.gov Selected to Library Journal’s 2006 Best Web References List

  According to Library Journal, Science.gov “is the place to go for science information and results of scientific research.” Each year Library Journal selects best Web references for its patrons: library directors, managers, and others in public, academic, and corporate/institutional libraries. Science.gov, a collaborative effort of 12 federal science agencies, provides a search of deep Web databases and more than 50 million pages of scientific information. It serves as a gateway to more than 1,800 scientific Web sites. Science.gov is hosted by OSTI. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

Posted April 18, 2007

• Snapshots of Science: Thwarting Smugglers, South Pole Communications, and More at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments

  Read about portable detection systems aimed at thwarting smugglers (Eddies and Echoes to Thwart Smugglers) and the first multicast video and audio link from the U.S. to the South Pole (To the South Pole on M:Bone: First Live Multicast Connection) at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Snapshots page. Snapshots are quick pictures, introductions, overviews, or synopses of DOE Accomplishments in science. DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory developed technology to quickly and accurately detect everything from the contents of a can of soda to strategic metals used to make nuclear weapons. The first multicast to the South Pole was made between DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and scientists at the U.S. Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D that have had significant economic impact, have improved people's lives, or have been widely recognized as remarkable advances in science. An R&D accomplishment is the outcome of past research whose benefits are being realized now. See the Snapshots page for a quick look at how DOE research impacts lives through science.

Posted April 4, 2007

• ATP “Molecular Machine” Highlighted at OSTI's Information Bridge

  

  Enzymatic mechanism of
  ATP synthesis

  Called a “molecular machine,” ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, helps churn energy for all living creatures. In fact, a hard-working human can convert almost a ton of ATP daily (see Adenosine Triphosphate: The Energy Currency of Life). Research examining ATP synthase, the enzyme responsible for synthesizing ATP, netted Paul D. Boyer a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1997. At OSTI's Information Bridge, you can read related research on ATP, by either performing a search or by viewing the ATP featured documents list. Information Bridge provides free public access to full-text documents and bibliographic citations of DOE research report literature. Information Bridge contains documents and citations in physics, chemistry, materials, biology, environmental sciences, energy technologies, engineering, computer and information science, renewable energy, and other topics of interest related to DOE's mission.

• Top Quark Research Featured at OSTI

  The top quark is unique among the six predicted quarks because of its large mass. That's one reason scientists persist in their enthusiastic study of this fundamental particle of nature.

  
  

  
  Colliding proton and antiproton produces top quarks.

  “If we can measure its properties precisely, we're likely to gain insight into completely new physics,” Fermilab theorist Tim Tait states in “Why We Care About the Top Quark:  CDF Explains”[exit federal site]. This and other top quark articles, Web sites and research documents are featured at the OSTI Web resource DOE R&D Accomplishments. What was the research environment one year prior to the remarkable discovery of the top quark? Find out in the 1994 DOE Report, “The Top Quark – Is it There?” Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced the discovery of the top quark in 1995 and continue to carry out research in high-energy physics to answer the questions: What is the universe made of? How does it work? Where did it come from? DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D that have had significant economic impact, have improved people's lives, or have been widely recognized as a remarkable advance in science.

Posted March 20, 2007

• DOE Center Provides the Latest in Federal Science Software Packages

  You can search and order the latest in federal science software packages from the Energy Science and Technology Software Center (ESTSC), hosted by OSTI. The ESTSC is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) centralized software management facility. The collection contains software developed by the national labs, other facilities and DOE contractors; as well as selected scientific and technical software from the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Software packages in the collection can be used for many different applications and are designed to run on personal computers, workstations, mainframes, and super computers. At the ESTSC Web site you can search the collection, get ordering information, view the most requested packages, see what's new in software, and contact technical support. ESTSC will begin to process an order for scientific and technical software the day it is received if the payment and signed site license agreement forms are in order. Normally orders are processed within three to five days.

• Visit ScienceLab and Get Quick Access to Educational Resources at DOE National Labs

  Where can you read about artic wolves, coral reefs, energy hog and secrets of the sea; as well as perform virtual frog dissections and take particle adventures? At ScienceLab, OSTI's online source for science stuff. Get homework help, find fun experiments, discover science fair ideas and mine a wealth of classroom resources at this Web site designed to help students, teachers and parents find the science information they need. ScienceLab is sectioned by grade level, with an Elementary Lab, a Middle School Lab, and a High School Lab available. A Teachers' Lab with lesson plans is offered. Find information on internships, science art and music, science careers and more. Links are provided to DOE National Laboratory educational resources.

Posted March 6, 2007

• OSTI Initiative with Google Cited

  OSTI is one of three federal government Web sites to make their content accessible for commercial search engines, according to a February 21, 2007 Government Executive article, “Google moves ahead with plan to open up federal Web sites.” OSTI took the initiative to pioneer government information exposure to commercial search engines supporting the Sitemap Protocol, and since that time Google has used the OSTI example to demonstrate its Sitemap Protocol. OSTI submitted the Google sitemap for its home page in April 2006. In addition, Google founder Larry Page spoke to scientists at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in San Francisco in February, and stressed the importance of access to scientific information, saying, “We have to unlock the wealth of scientific knowledge and get it to everyone.” Currently, about half of OSTI's Web traffic (close to 80-million information transactions per year) stems from referrals from Google, Yahoo! and MSN. OSTI currently supplies the highest volume of data of federal Web sites via this new Sitemap Protocol. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

Posted March 6, 2007

• OSTI Participates in Workshop to Promote Multilateral Exchange of Energy Research Information

  Through its involvement with the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE), OSTI participated in the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Networks of Expertise in Energy Technology workshop, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, February 20–22 (view press release and presentations/outcomes). The purpose of the workshop was to explore mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities between South Africa and the IEA's energy technology network (including ETDE). ETDE was formed in 1987 under the IEA. Currently, more than 15 countries share their energy research and technology information through the Web version of ETDE's Energy Database, ETDEWEB. The ETDE agreement is managed by OSTI in its role as Operating Agent. The information collection, which totals more than 3.8-million items, is made available to U.S. researchers by OSTI. OSTI is the U.S. member of ETDE.

Posted March 6, 2007

• Listen to OSTI Podcasts, Recently Updated

  Tune in to news on OSTI's E-print Network, a fast-growing searchable scientific communications network, and on OSTI's Solar Energy feature at the DOE R&D Accomplishments site. OSTI podcasts allow users to download OSTI news to a portable digital audio player, enabling you to listen to OSTI news whenever you like.

Posted March 6, 2007

• Paul Boyer, 1997 Nobel Prize Winner, Featured at OSTI

  He proposed a theory that was greeted with disbelief, and eventually he closed his lab thinking his career was over. Nine years later, in 1997, Paul Boyer held the Nobel Prize in Chemistry [exit federal site] for his work on the process by which molecules produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Read more on Paul Boyer at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site. In addition, view a sampling of Boyer's documents and related research and access additional related Web sites about Boyer's work. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D that have had significant economic impact, have improved people's lives, or have been widely recognized as a remarkable advance in science.

Released February 16, 2007

• Science.gov 4.0 Launched

  Science.gov launched Version 4.0 in San Francisco on Friday, February 16, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting [exit federal site]. This latest version deploys DeepRank, which allows search and relevancy ranking across full text of documents when full text is available. In addition, Science.gov 4.0 adds a "refine results" option to narrow returns within a search, as well as an "e-mail results" feature so that individuals may e-mail important science information to themselves, friends and family, or colleagues. Version 4.0 offers more ways to view search results: by title, author or date, as well as by relevancy rank or source, as in earlier versions. OSTI hosts Science.gov, the interagency portal to federal scientific databases and Web sites. [Download fact sheet (239-KB PDF).]

Posted February 6, 2007

• OSTI to Participate in Nano Workshop in Oak Ridge

  OSTI will participate in the Informatics Needs for Nanomaterials Workshop being held February 8-9, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The workshop is hosted by Informatics Research Library in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is the first of a series of workshops to address the informatics needs in nanotechnology. OSTI Director Walt Warnick will give a presentation, “Speeding Up Nano Progress Using Information Diffusion.” Participants include researchers from universities, federal facilities and industry, and leaders in the field of nanotechnology, including representatives of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office in Arlington, Virginia; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences; and the Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory for the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

Posted January 23, 2007

• Global Science Gateway Agreement Signed in London

  A Statement of Intent (215-KB PDF) to partner in the development of a searchable global science gateway was signed Sunday, January 21, by Dr. Raymond Orbach, Under Secretary for Science of the U.S. Department of Energy, and Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library.

  
  Dr. Raymond Orbach, Under Secretary for Science, and Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library sign a Statement of Intent to partner in the development of a searchable global science gateway.

  The gateway would eventually make science information resources of many nations accessible via a single Internet portal. The signing ceremony was held at the British Library in London, England, in conjunction with the Winter Meeting of the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI). Invitations to other nations to join the partnership were extended. OSTI is the Energy Department's representative to ICSTI. OSTI will take the lead in developing a Science.world prototype by the end of 2007. The U.S. science gateway, Science.gov, is anticipated as the first U.S. contribution to Science.world. OSTI hosts and has operated Science.gov since its inception in 2002. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

Posted January 23, 2007

• Close to 1 Million Documents Now at OSTI's E-print Network

  OSTI's E-print Network, a fast-growing searchable scientific communications network, now boasts full-text access to approximately 1 million e-print documents. By linking to publicly accessible sites around the world, the E-print Network makes available a search of information in basic and applied sciences, primarily in physics but also chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and other disciplines of interest to the Department of Energy. Most documents included in the network are recent scientific papers. Also available: Access to more than 22,000 scientific Web sites organized by scientific disciplines; an Alert Service; and more than 2,900 links to relevant scientific societies.

Posted January 9, 2007

• OSTI Sends Solar Energy Info to Public

  The sun's heat and light provide an abundant source of energy that can be harnessed in many ways. You can read more and find a wide range of solar energy information through OSTI's Solar Energy Web page. From educational materials to radiation resource information, OSTI has pulled together one-stop access to Department of Energy solar energy resources, as well as a listing of featured documents on solar energy research. DOE has played a major role in solar energy research and development. As a result of solar R&D, the "cost of solar energy has been reduced 100-fold over the past two decades" (from DOE's Making Solar Energy More Affordable). OSTI's Solar Energy page is part of OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site. Technical reports on solar energy are available through OSTI's Information Bridge. For additional featured solar information, visit OSTI's R&D Nuggets page.

Posted December 19, 2006

• Nobel Prize Winners Smoot, Kornberg, Highlighted at OSTI

  OSTI recently posted a Science Showcase Web site featuring research documents by George F. Smoot and Roger D. Kornberg.[exit federal site] In 2006, both Smoot and Kornberg joined the growing list of Nobel Laureates associated with DOE. Smoot won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in blackbody and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. He is an astrophysicist at DOE's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and a UC Berkeley physics professor. Smoot shared the award with John C. Mather of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

  Kornberg of Stanford University won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription. A significant portion of Kornberg's research leading to this prize was performed at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), a Department of Energy (DOE)-supported research facility located at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC).

Posted December 5, 2006

• Turning the Lights On & Speeding Up Science

  What if electricity had been discovered 20 years earlier? While we don't know how large the economic or scientific impact might have been of turning the lights on for an additional generation, OSTI operates as if the benefits would have been significant. Everything that OSTI does is geared to speeding up the diffusion of scientific knowledge and to accelerate scientific progress. Toward this end, OSTI is doing applied research to measure and model knowledge diffusion and to develop new ways to speed it up. The intention is to save years and even decades in discovery time for our nation's researchers. Read more on OSTI's diffusion research Web pages.

• Harnessing the Power of Grey Literature

  Representatives from Belgium, Fiji, France, Italy, Japan, Romania, the United States and more are exploring the benefits of grey literature as a global platform for R&D, during a conference this week in New Orleans. The Eighth International Conference on Grey Literature [27-KB PDF] [exit federal site], held at the Lindy C. Boggs International Conference Center, December 4–5, focuses on the state-of-the-art in grey literature with applications and innovative uses for science and technology. Debbie Cutler, OSTI's International Program Manager, is participating in the conference as a member of the GL8 Program Committee.

Posted November 21, 2006

• OSTI Search Tools Cited for "High Quality" Content

  Thomson Scientific recently selected several OSTI search tools and Science.gov for inclusion in Current Web Contents™, a growing collection of scholarly Web sites. Thomson cited the government search tools for “publishing important, high-quality material on the Web.” Thomson Scientific specializes in making premium science content available to the public. The following OSTI-hosted products were included in Current Web Contents™ with a link from ISI Web of Knowledge: DOE R&D Accomplishments, Energy Citations Database, Federal R&D Project Summaries, and Science.gov. Thomson Scientific is part of the Scientific & Healthcare market segment of The Thomson Corporation. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

• "Blackbody Form" Research Yields 2006 Nobel Prize

  George Smoot made an announcement in 1992 that “essentially silenced all the scientific critics of the Big Bang theory.” (See the October 3, 2006 edition of Today at Berkeley Lab.) For research leading up to that announcement, Smoot was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics 2006. Smoot, an astrophysicist at Berkeley Lab since 1974 and a UC Berkeley physics professor since 1994, shared the award with John C. Mather of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Together they discovered the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Read more on this discovery at the DOE R&D Accomplishments Featured Scientists page.

• OSTI Contributes to Second Harvest

  OSTI recently provided 28 “Food for Kids” kits and 3 Backpacks to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Knoxville, as part of a food drive sponsored by the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Federally Employed Women (FEW). The “Food for Kids” program provides backpacks filled with nutritious, non-perishable food. The local “Food for Kids” drive provides food for over 1,600 children in 41 schools in 11 surrounding counties. According to a Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations press release, the drive resulted in 5,000 pounds of food and cash contributions totaling approximately $1,200.

Posted November 7, 2006

• Alvin Weinberg (1915–2006) Papers at OSTI

  Can the Sun Replace Uranium? During his esteemed career as pioneering nuclear scientist and Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Alvin Weinberg penned words on this topic and a wide range of scientific challenges to mankind's future. These words, codified in research literature, represent Weinberg's science legacy. A selection of papers has been made available in full text at the OSTI Web site. Additional Weinberg papers, including lecture notes, technical reports and speculations, can be found by searching the technical information collections in the Energy Citations Database and Information Bridge, two of the science information resources which reside at OSTI and are available on the Web.

• OSTI Participates in INIS Liaison Officers Meeting in Vienna

  OSTI participated in the 33rd Consultative Meeting of the International Nuclear Information System (INIS) Liaison Officers, October 30–November 1, 2006, in Vienna, Austria. OSTI represented the U.S. position in the International Atomic Energy Agency INIS meeting, thus ensuring that the direction and information exchange benefits the U.S. nuclear community by providing key scientific and technical information to DOE and to academia, industry, and the public. Brian Hitson, associate director of OSTI, attended and chaired a special session on INIS promotion and outreach. Debbie Cutler, operating agent representative for the IEA's Energy Technology Data Exchange and OSTI's international program manager also attended, providing an ETDE program overview and highlights of recent activities.

• OSTI Working with GPO on Electronic Media Transition

  OSTI Director Walter Warnick is a member of the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, which met October 21–25 in Washington, D.C. The Depository Library Council is an advisory body formed to provide advice to the Government Printing Office (GPO) on topics related to the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). GPO has been working to transition to electronic media. OSTI is a leader in this arena and has a track record of success for the Department of Energy, as noted in the OSTI Milestones.

Posted October 17, 2006

• Thin-Film Lithium Batteries Highlighted at OSTI

  Imagine batteries that can be recharged thousands of times; come in any size and shape; and are thin enough to be embedded in skin to assist in heart regulation. The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed just such a high-performance thin-film lithium battery for a variety of technological applications. Teledyne licensed this technology from ORNL to make batteries for medical devices including electrocardiographs. Read more on ORNL's research and other sources of information on thin-film lithium batteries at DOE R&D Accomplishments, a Web portal developed by OSTI.

• E-print Network Provides Access to Science, Scientists

  You can search more than 900,000 scientific documents at OSTI's E-print Network. This vast, integrated network of scientific and technical information contains e-prints in basic and applied sciences, primarily in physics but also including subject areas such as chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and other disciplines of interest to the U.S. Department of Energy. Enjoy the capability to search across approximately 22,000 scientific Web sites and 56 science databases worldwide, and access more than 2,900 relevant scientific societies. The E-print Alerts feature will automatically notify you when new e-print information is available in your specific areas of interest. In addition, E-print Network is a means for researchers (as well as program managers, educators, and others) to rapidly identify and establish connections with scientists they may not know exist.

• International Group Gathers in Knoxville to Discuss Sharing Science across Borders
  

  The desire to share science across international boundaries brought representatives from 11 countries to the Knoxville area October 3–5. The 20^th Technical Working Group meeting of the International Energy Agency agreement, known as the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE), reviewed enhancements to the ETDE database, ETDEWEB; and held discussions pertinent to international research exchange. Representatives hailed from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Nuclear Information System. ETDE is a group of 16 counties under agreement to make available the widest range of energy-related research, and, secondarily, to disseminate that information to developing countries. ETDE World Energy Base or ETDEWEB is the Internet tool for disseminating the energy research and technology information that ETDE collects and exchanges. ETDEWEB holds over 3.7 million records.

Posted October 3, 2006

• DOE Nobel Laureate Information at OSTI

  As Nobel Prize winners are announced this week, discover the rich history of Department of Energy Nobel Laureates at the DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site. This Web site is a central forum for remarkable advances in science that were the outcomes of past DOE research and development. Included is the complete roster of 84 Nobel Laureates since 1934 that are associated with DOE and its predecessor agencies. Read more about George F. Smoot, the 2006 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, announced today. Also, recently added to the roster was Steven Chu, a 1997 winner and now director of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. Check DOE R&D Accomplishments regularly for additional updates and features.

Posted September 26, 2006

• Advancing Renewable Energy Conference
  October 10–12, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will jointly host the conference Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance[exit federal site], October 10–12, 2006 in St. Louis, Missouri. This conference will bring together key stakeholders in biofuels, wind, and solar energy to:

  • Identify major issues including partnership opportunities facing decision makers both within government and in the private sector.
  • Identify critical pathways to rapid deployment of renewable energy technologies; identify bottlenecks; and make policy recommendations for resolving these issues.
  • Examine policy incentives such as tax credits, loan guarantees, expedited approval processes, and other measures to increase certainty, reduce risk, and accelerate the deployment of new energy sources.
  • Advance understanding of the opportunities and issues involved in the integration of distributed energy production into legacy systems.

  To learn more about what DOE, USDA, and other agencies are doing in the renewable energy research arena, search at Science.gov and Federal R&D Project Summaries.  These sites are hosted by the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

Posted September 19, 2006

• OSTI Highlights First-Time Electronic Availability of Geothermal Documents at San Diego Geothermal Conference
  

  The Geothermal Technologies Subject Portal, providing first-time availability of searchable, downloadable historical reports as well as a new look, was highlighted at the Geothermal Resources Council 2006 Annual Meeting in San Diego, September 10–13. Among the 15,000-plus available documents, you can now uncover another 3,000 citations and reports added this year. Dating from the 1970s to present day, these technical and programmatic "legacy" reports are among the most valuable sources of DOE-sponsored information in the geothermal field. Other citations and reports from DOE, other government agencies, international sources, and organizations are included. Both Basic and Advanced search are now available, enabling scientific researchers and the interested public alike to more quickly and easily find geothermal documents. OSTI developed and maintains the site for the Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Geothermal Technologies Program.

• OSTI Supports the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 50^th Anniversary Celebration in Vienna

  On behalf of the Department's Office of Science, OSTI will support the IAEA's 50^th anniversary celebration at the 50^th General Conference held at Vienna's Austria Center, September 18 to 22, 2006. Several key country delegations are providing special historical exhibits. The U.S. delegation will host a display focusing primarily on the key role President Eisenhower played in establishing the IAEA. Many of the U.S. memorabilia items are provided from the OSTI, including documents from the U.S. delegation to four of the Atoms for Peace Conferences (1955, 1958, 1964 and 1971), Eisenhower photographs, publications by Glenn T. Seaborg about the IAEA, samples from Understanding the Atom series, and several key Enrico Fermi documents. In addition to the OSTI collection, the U.S. display will include a bust of Eisenhower created for the IAEA in 2003 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the "Atoms for Peace" speech from 1953, a CD of the 2003 presentation ceremony, and the text of the speech itself (from the Dwight D. Eisenhower Library). The exhibit will be on display in Vienna for most of the year-long celebration, with potential exhibits in other countries where special events will be hosted.

Posted September 5, 2006

• OSTI Hosts UT Grad Students

  OSTI is hosting two graduate students this fall as part of the Science Links scholarship program. Gary Robinson, a graduate of Miles College (computer science), and Erin Dominick, a graduate of Oklahoma State University (psychology) will spend 20 hours per week as interns at OSTI while earning a Master's degree in information science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT). Science Links is a two-year scholarship funded by the Institute for Museum and Library Services and UT. The scholarship is awarded to students from underrepresented groups interested in a career in science librarianship. OSTI will provide mentors for each student. [You may be directed to non-federal databases or Web sites. OSTI is not responsible for the content, design, format, or maintenance of these pages.]

• Science Conferences Expands

  Science Conferences, the Web portal where you can find select science conference papers and proceedings, now queries up to 26 sites with its basic search feature. Recently added to the original 16-site distributed search are: American Nuclear Society; Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society; Materials Research Society; ASM International; National Institute of Standards and Technology; National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements; Society of Petroleum Engineers; American Solar Energy Society; and American Oil Chemists' Society. Science Conferences taps resources such as national labs and professional societies whose areas of interest in the physical sciences and technology intersect those of the Department of Energy.

Posted August 22, 2006

• Space, Wind, and Water now Featured at Science.gov

  Celestial sights, state-of-the-art wind turbine designs, and real-time flow maps of the nation's streams are all on display at Science.gov, the "go to" Web portal for government science information. Science.gov is currently featuring three of its thousands of Web sites for exploration and discovery: Astronomy Picture of the Day, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration resource of vivid images of our universe; National Wind Technology Center, a world-class research facility managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy; and WaterWatch, a U.S. Geological Survey interactive map. Science.gov is a gateway to selected science information from sources provided by U.S. Government agencies including research and development results. Science.gov is hosted by the Energy Department's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI).

Posted August 8, 2006

• OSTI features Nobel Prize winner Leon Lederman

  Read about this second son of Russian–Jewish parents who, along with his research partners, won the 1988 Nobel Prize in physics for "transforming the ghostly neutrino into an active tool of research."[exit federal site] The OSTI-developed and -managed Web site, DOE R&D Accomplishments, has posted a feature highlighting Leon Lederman, who proposed the idea that eventually became the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. In addition to the Lederman feature, explore two additions to the Snapshots page: Argonne Licenses Anti-Jet-Lag-Diet Software to Online Company and Discoveries at Fermilab. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE research and development.

• Science.gov Enhanced with Spelling Suggestion Tool

  The interagency portal Science.gov has been enhanced with the addition of a spelling suggestion tool. Now patrons of Science.gov will see a "Did You Mean . . . ?" message if a search term is not found in the Science.gov dictionaries. The technology is available on the Science.gov basic search as well as on the full record field of the advanced search. This implementation was the result of successful technology collaboration between the DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information and the National Library of Medicine, which uses A–Z Spell on the ToxSeek site.

• Over 9,000 projects added/updated to DOE R&D Project Summaries

  More than 9,000 ongoing or recently completed research projects from the past year have been added and/or updated at the publicly accessible database DOE R&D Project Summaries. These Energy Department projects pertain to a range of disciplines in energy, science, and technology, including fossil energy, environmental management, and renewable energy. This application was developed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information as a means for the DOE to educate and inform the general public of its R&D activities. The database currently includes approximately 30,000 DOE research projects that are online and searchable.

Posted July 18, 2006

• OSTI's E-print Network Content Tops 900,000 Documents

  OSTI's E-print Network: Research Communications for Scientists and Engineers now provides access to over 900,000 documents on more than 22,000 scientific e-print Web sites. In addition, the E-print Network provides links to more than 2,900 relevant scientific societies. This Web portal, established as the PrePRINT Network in 2000, is a vast, integrated network of electronic scientific and technical information created by scientists and research engineers active in their respective fields, intended for use by other scientists, engineers, and students at advanced levels. It is a set of specialized tools and features designed to facilitate the exchange and use of scientific information. A deep Web distributed search across E-prints on Web sites and/or databases is available. This deep Web search allows for compilation and assimilation of data to facilitate information discovery and reuse.

• OpenNet Recently Redesigned for Office of Classification

  OpenNet is now easier to navigate and includes more full-text content that can be searched electronically. The Web portal, developed by OSTI in support of the Department of Energy's commitment to openness, provides timely access to recently declassified documents, including information declassified in response to Freedom of Information Act requests. This database will include references to all DOE documents declassified and made publicly available after October 1, 1994. New references will be added periodically as they are available. OpenNet was developed and redesigned for the Office of Classification within the Office of Security and Safety Performance Assurance.

Released June 20, 2006

• OSTI Employee Director-Elect of New SLA Division

  Valerie Allen, senior technical information specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information, was recently named director-elect of the newly formed Government Information Division of the Special Libraries Association (SLA).

Posted June 6, 2006

• Relevancy Ranking Enhanced at Information Bridge and Energy Citations Database

  A basic search now returns more relevant results than ever at OSTI's Information Bridge and Energy Citations Database. Recently implemented technology sorts through DOE's research results and rapidly returns information in an order more likely to meet the user's needs. Future plans include relevancy ranking enhancements on the advanced search options as well. Information Bridge provides free public access to full-text documents and bibliographic citations of DOE research report literature. Energy Citations Database provides free access to DOE publicly available citations from 1948 through the present. Both databases are continually growing through regular updates.

• OSTI Highlights "AEC Information Retrieval Experiment"

  One of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) News Releases for the week ending August 5, 1970 was about a successful worldwide information retrieval experiment. The AEC experiment demonstrated that a terminal in Paris could search a computer in California and display the resulting bibliographic citations on a screen in Paris. OSTI has featured the AEC experiment at its DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D that have had significant economic impact, have improved people's lives, or have been widely recognized as a remarkable advance in science.

• Dr. Walter Warnick Invited to Speak at the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information Public Conference

  Dr. Walter Warnick, director of OSTI, has been invited to speak at the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information Public Conference. [exit federal site] The conference will be held at the Lister Hill Center Auditorium at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland June 7–8, and will be followed by the General Assembly June 9–10. Dr. Warnick's presentation is entitled "Global Search and Distributed Repositories: Science.world."

• Science.gov, Geothermal Energy Technology exhibits at Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit

  OSTI highlighted Science.gov and the Geothermal Energy Technology subject portal at the 16^th Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit [exit federal site], held at the Chattanooga Convention Center May 31 to June 1. Science.gov, the nation's "go to" Web portal for government science information, is a collaborative effort of 12 federal science agencies. The Geothermal subject portal, providing distributed searching of full-text technical reports and other resources, is sponsored by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). This was the 16^th in a series of regular economic development summits organized to help strategically link the technology-rich Tennessee Valley Corridor — from North Alabama through East Tennessee into Southwest Virginia and Southern and Eastern Kentucky.

Released May 16, 2006

• OSTI Increases Visibility of DOE Science via WorldCat

  Librarians from around the world have a new avenue of access to research results from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). More than 120,000 records for DOE scientific and technical information are now available in WorldCat, a database merging catalogues of more than 50,000 libraries in 96 countries and territories.

Released May 2, 2006

• Science.gov Adds NSDL to Collection

  The nation's "go to" Web portal for government science information recently added the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) to its collection. This means that users can search all the science databases and more than 1,800 science Web sites at Science.gov, plus the 1.1 million records of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education resources at NSDL, with just one click. This one-stop search is free of charge, free of ads, and returns only reliable science information.

Released April 4, 2006

• Alert Service Sends International Research to Public Desktops

  An alert service is now available through the ETDEWEB or Energy Technology Data Exchange World Energy Base. Citizens can set up a free e-mail alert account and receive information on a wide variety of energy-related research through a new U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) developed service. Users can target information of interest, and then choose whether to receive updates on a weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Registration is required.

Released March 1, 2006

• Science.gov Alerts Help Track Latest Science Information

  The Science.gov Alert Service has been updated to take advantage of the new Science.gov 3.0 query capabilities. The Alert Service tracks the latest information on your science topics of interest and delivers that information to your desktop e-mail each Monday. The Alert Service is free, and registration is available at the Science.gov home page.

Released February 17, 2006

• Global Discovery introduced at AAAS 2006

  OSTI was a key participant in the symposium, Global Discovery on the Internet, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2006 Annual Meeting [exit federal site] Feb. 16–20 in St. Louis, MO. The symposium introduced Global Discovery, which promises to increase the pace of science by searching all scientific communities at once for data, information, or methodological advances. OSTI is conducting applied research on a number of challenges related to this vision aimed at turning local discovery into Global Discovery. The benefits for researchers, for citizens, and for the U.S. economy could prove far-reaching.

Released February 1, 2006

• OSTI raises $2,400 for Norwood, Dutch Valley, Andersonville, Briceville, and Fairview Elementary Schools

  The Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) raised $2,400 during its recent annual Adopt-A-School auction. The auction was held at Kern Methodist Church in Oak Ridge and benefits Norwood, Andersonville, Briceville, Dutch Valley, and Fairview Elementary Schools. OSTI Director Walter Warnick said, "This is another example of our employees' dedication to advancing science knowledge. I appreciate their efforts and the area businesses who generously partnered with OSTI to benefit local school children."

Released January 17, 2006

• OSTI's E-print Network Continues Rapid Growth

  The E-print Network, a communications hub created by scientists for scientists worldwide, currently provides full-text searching of more than 730,000 e-print documents from scientific Web sites — an increase of almost 40 percent since January 2005. More than 100,000 documents were added to the network in the past three months.

Released January 3, 2006

• OSTI Employees Cited for Central Roles in Science.gov

  The Office of Scientific and Technical Information's Sharon Jordan and Valerie Allen were recently cited for their central roles in the creation and ongoing development of Science.gov, a federal science Web portal.

Released November 15, 2005

• Science.gov 3.0 Launched

  The latest version of Science.gov was launched today allowing more refined queries for searches of federal science databases. While Science.gov 3.0 is available to everyone, these improvements will be especially helpful to scientists and information specialists in their searches.

Released November 4, 2005

• OSTI Director Walter Warnick named AAAS Fellow

  Dr. Walter L. Warnick was recently elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) [exit federal site] in the Information, Computing, and Communication section "for leadership in the federal scientific information community and for contributions to the conceptualization, development and implementation of innovative programs that significantly advance access to government information." Dr. Warnick is the Office of Science's Acting Senior Information Management Executive and Director of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information.

Released September 20, 2005

• International Recognition for OSTI-Based Information Systems

  The May 2005 report, "Energy Research and Technological Development (RTD) Information Systems in the ERA (European Research Area)," issued positive comments regarding OSTI's activities: "Many respondents and interviewees refer to the USA 's situation as a role model for Europe. Access to government-funded energy RTD is ensured in the USA by the Technical Information Management Programme (TIMP) (OSTI's former budget title) of the US Department of Energy." The International Energy Agency Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) program, managed by OSTI since 1987, was also highlighted as a key international information system.

• OSTI Brings Foreign Research to U.S. Science Community

  OSTI and the Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDE) were recently cited in a European Commission study as key information systems that could serve as models in the development of a European Union-focused energy portal. ETDE is a multilateral information exchange agreement to which OSTI serves as the Operating Agent.

• OSTI Opens for Harvesting over 110,000 Citations to OCLC

  OSTI is pleased to announce that its Open Archives Initiative (OAI) server has opened more than 110,000 DOE scientific and technical reports on OSTI's Information Bridge for harvesting by the Online Computer Center Library (OCLC). OCLC [exit federal site] is a nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs. More than 53,548 libraries in 96 countries and territories around the world use OCLC services to locate, acquire, catalog, lend and preserve library materials.

• DOE Physicists at Work Feature Series

  "I always tell my students to pick their Ph.D. topic carefully because you usually spend the rest of your life at it or something similar." So says Dr. Naomi Harley, professor with the New York University School of Medicine. [exit federal site]

• A Puzzle at OSTI's Celebrating Einstein Site

  Take equal masses of lead and aluminum. Heat them until their temperatures are both 10 degrees higher. Will it take the same amount of heat for each? Find out the surprising solution at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Featured Nugget, "Solid Cold."

• DOE Physicists at Work Feature Series

  Dr. Lin-Wang Wang has a love for theory, extending back to when he was a middle school student in China. At that time, his parents subscribed for him a popular science magazine. "I was intrigued by the science fictions in that magazine, always couldn't wait for the next issue to come," says Dr. Wang, staff scientist with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientific Computing Group (SCG) of the High Performance Computing Department.

• Hurricane Katrina Recovery Information Features at Science.gov

  The Science.gov Alliance recently tapped its wealth of scientific information across 12 science agencies to provide two special Hurricane Katrina features at Science.gov. A few of the vast information sources included on these features are: WISER — Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders; HSDB — Hazardous Substances Data Bank; TOXMAP — Toxics Release Inventory maps; as well as features on Environmental Cleanup and Recovery, Emergency Health Management, Managing Emergency Health Services; Drinking Water; Rodents, Snakes, and Other Pests After Disasters and Mold. Science.gov is a gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by 12 U.S. Government agencies and accesses 50 million pages of government science information. The Science.gov Web portal is hosted by OSTI.

Released September 6, 2005

• New Features at OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments

  Two Noble Laureate features have been added to OSTI's DOE R&D Accomplishments Web site: William A. Fowler shared the 1983 Nobel Prize in physics[exit federal site] for his research into the creation of chemical elements inside stars, and Martin L. Perl, a professor at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)[exit federal site], awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in physics[exit federal site] for his 1975 discovery of a new elementary particle known as the tau lepton.

• Innovations in Scientific Knowledge and Advancement (ISKA)

  OSTI's Innovations in Scientific Knowledge and Advancement (ISKA) provides enhancements and improvements to transform our collections and services. ISKA is a strategic initiative to accelerate the diffusion of knowledge and advance science.

• DOE Physicists at Work Feature Series

  "I always tell my students to pick their Ph.D. topic carefully because you usually spend the rest of your life at it or something similar." So says Dr. Naomi Harley, professor with the New York University School of Medicine.[exit federal site]

• Search over 660,000 E-prints at OSTI's E-print Network

  With our latest update, users can now search against a universe of 664,745 e-prints. These e-prints are created within the research laboratories of 18,200 active investigators whose aim is to make sure that their work is readily accessible to interested colleagues and students.

• OSTI Updates EnergyFiles for More Relevant Results

  EnergyFiles now utilizes QuickRank®, a special formula that filters results, sending you more relevant returns. Follow a subject pathway, or try a multidisciplinary search at EnergyFiles to search over 500 databases and Web sites containing information and resources pertaining to science and technology of interest to the Department of Energy, with an emphasis on the physical sciences.

• Hurricane Katrina Information at Science.gov

  Now you can view images, read impact studies, learn about search-and-rescue missions and more from a variety of science resources at Science.gov, a gateway to authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies. Science.gov, hosted by OSTI, accesses 50 million pages of government science information and allows searches across 29 databases and more than 1,800 science Web sites.

• Science.gov Launches Customer Survey

  Science.gov, hosted by OSTI, launched a customer satisfaction survey on September 2, 2005. The survey, presented by ForeSee Results and based on the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), will appear randomly to Science.gov patrons and will remain on Science.gov sites through February 28, 2006. The survey is a pop-up survey that will take 2–3 minutes to complete. Users may accept or decline participation in the survey.

• New Feature at OSTI's DOE R& D Accomplishments

  Sheldon Glashow, whose work has been instrumental in understanding how our universe came into being, and Steven Weinberg, author of the prize-winning book The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, are two Noble Laureates featured at OSTI's DOE R &D Accomplishments.

August 19, 2005

• OSTI Brings Foreign Research to U.S. Science Community

  Each year the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) – through its participation in two multilateral R&D information exchange agreements – gains access to approximately 80,000 foreign energy-related research summaries.

• DOE Physicists at Work feature series

  The drying up of his research funds may have been the best thing that ever happened to Andrew Post-Zwicker, head of the Science Education Program at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).

August 3, 2005

• OSTI's Search Tools in Top 100

  Online search tools at OSTI hold six slots in the recently posted Top 100 Science/Technology Government Information Web sites by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).[exit federal site]

June 2005

• The Opportunity for Global Discovery in Science

  One of the great remaining diffusion challenges is something called global discovery. The problem of global discovery occurs when a scientist needs to look outside of their own research community to solve a problem, and there is no way to tell what other community to search in ... The opportunity exists to build a true global search facility. Such a facility would give scientists the ability to quickly find out what is going on in the whole rest of science ...

• OSTI Establishes OAI Server, Achieves Broader Exposure for Records

  OSTI's establishment of an OAI server immediately opened more than 108,000 records for harvesting by the National Science Digital Library[exit federal site] and other OAI users, achieving broader exposure of searchable science through OSTI's suite of R&D databases.

• OSTI Increases Total Number of Documents Available to the Public

  OSTI is pleased to announce the addition of full-text reports from 1994 in digital form to the DOE Information Bridge, bringing the currently viewable total to more than 108,000 DOE scientific and technical reports.

May 2005

• Science Conferences Launched

  A new search tool, developed by OSTI, makes DOE-related science conference papers and proceedings easier for you to access and easier for you to search. The portal permits users to simultaneously search for conference papers and proceedings at number of scientific and professional organizations. Many of the organizations facilitate purchase of full text online documents through an online shopping cart.

March 2005

• OSTI Announces Alert Service for arXiv Patrons

  Now arXiv patrons can receive automatic notification of the latest information posted on arXiv, as well as other e-print sources in OSTI's E-print Network

February 28, 2005

• DOE/OSTI Joins CrossRef to Facilitate Reuse of Science and Technology Reports

  “We believe that coupling the vast resources available on Information Bridge with the reference-linking capabilities of CrossRef will advance OSTI's mission of making DOE research results more accessible,” said Dr. Walter Warnick, Director of OSTI.